Question

A gas a volume of 2.50 L at a pressure of of 350.0 kPa. If the temperature remains constant, what volume would the gas occupy at 1750 kPa?

Answer 1

The new volume of the gas is `"0.500 L"`.

Explanation:

This is an example of Boyle's law, which states that at constant temperature and mass, the volume of a gas will vary inversely with the pressure. The equation to use for solving your question is `P_1V_1=P_2V_2`, where `P_1` is initial pressure, `V_1` is initial volume, `P_2` is the final pressure, and `V` is the final volume.

Known
`P_1="350.0 kPa"`
`V_1="2.50 L"`
`P_2="1750 kPa"`

Unknown
`V_2="???"`

Solution
Rearrange the equation to isolate `V_2`. Substitute the known values into the equation and solve.

`P_1V_1=P_2V_2`

`V_2=(P_1V_1)/P_2`

`V_2=(350.0cancel"kPa"xx2.50"L")/(1750 cancel"kPa")="0.500 L"`